Fallout Ghosts
by MidnightFoxx
Summary: What if Amanda's horrible fate was changed at the end of Chernobyl Diaries?
1. Chapter 1

"I thought they had found all the patients." Dr. Nikitin remarked as he saw three men pushing a gurney down the hall. Alexi Terasov took his eyes off the computer screen and cocked his head slightly as the white coats passed the window. This was a place were odd and unusual things were the norm, but something suddenly felt different to him. Something pulled him to find out exactly who that was being wheeled towards that cursed room. Terasov stood and shuffled towards the door. Nikitin regretted he had said something at all

"Have you learned nothing? Why involve yourself?" he called.

Ignoring his counterpart, Terasov hurried towards the end of the hall as fast as his fragile knee would allow.

"We can't let her go. She has seen them." One of the men said. They pulled her to her feet. Her dark hair flopped around her burned face as she cried out in agony. Clearly, she was no patient but one of those unfortunate American tourists. She had been lucky enough to survive so far, but the people Terasov worked for would not allow lose ends. Too much was at stake in their point of view. This poor girl was a victim of circumstance, but in the end, weren't they all? Terasov could not allow her to be condemned to such a dark fate that he had seen so many others consumed by.

"No!" Terasov said stepping between the terrified young woman and the steel door. One of the men rolled his eyes. Terasov always showed too much compassion and never could seem to grasp the idea of why certain things needed to be done.

"Professor—" one of the men began.

"Please, I beg of you. There have already been setbacks into the research, but this—this will hamper it further."

"It needs to be done." The other man continued.

"Please, we will care for her. No one, no matter what she has seen, deserves that. Please, let me take her. She may be of some help because she knows what happened, what they did."

There was silence except for the occasional sob from the American woman.

"She'll probably be dead in a matter of weeks. Days maybe." Another man remarked.

"She never leaves and she will be closely monitored. Do we have an understanding?" Queried the first one.

"Yes, absolutely."

Terasov leaned her back against the gurney. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. Gently, he touched her face and she winced in pain from the burns. Terasov frowned at her sad state. She had been exposed to extremely high levels of radiation and was in desperate need of immediate medical attention. Terasov wondered if it was already too late. The woman's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she collapsed.

"Take her to Nikitin." Terasov said.

Amanda had never been more pain. Her bones felt like lead and every inch of her skin felt like it was boiling her alive. She could hear two male voices speaking what she assumed to be Russian, possibly Ukrainian. She couldn't tell the difference, nor did she particularly care at that moment. She wanted to open her eyes, but to her, they felt as if they had been sealed shut.

"She's waking up." Terasov said.

"I can't give her any more morphine right now. She will have to struggle for a bit. Keep her mind on something else." Nikitin replied. Terasov took the woman's hand into his with a feathery touch.

"It's all right." He said to her in English. His voice was calm and soothing. She recognized it as the voice of the man who had stopped her from going through that steel door. She needed to see him. Determined, she opened her eyes slowly, seeing nothing but a white blur. She moved her neck ever so slightly towards him as her sight began to clear. Her eyes met soft, warm, handsome emerald ones. It was as if he had reached into her very being and humbly asked her to trust him. He would get it. She sensed the only reason she was still alive was thanks to this man. Terasov didn't even know if the poor girl could see any longer since she had not reacted in the slightest bit to his obvious differences.

"What a beautiful girl," he smiled. "What's your name, Sweetheart?"

She tried to speak, but no words came out. She breathed again.

"Amanda." She whispered.

"Miss Amanda. My name is Alexi Terasov and this is Dr. Sergei Nikitin. You are being treated by one of the best doctors in the world."

Nikitin scoffed.

"Flattery."

"You are American, yes?" Terasov asked

"Yes."

"Where from?"

"Chicago." She croaked.

Nikitin spoke to his associate in their native tongue.

"This next one will cause quite some pain."

Amanda was already covered with tubes and lines full of powerful medications in an attempt to lessen the effects of the poison invading her body. At first, Nikitin was hesitant to begin treatment. The girl was quickly headed for death and argued it would be more humane to smother her. Terasov begged and pleaded with his old friend to give the young woman a fighting chance. She had survived an incredible ordeal and he was certain she still had some fight left in her. Nikitin inserted yet another line into her veins.

Amanda squeezed Terasov's hand hard. She was still strong: a good sign.

She gasped for air and arched her weakened, burned body in aching agony.

"Give her some oxygen." Nikitin instructed. Terasov held the mask over her nose and mouth. She breathed in hard and fast, the clear rubber fogging up with each labored inhale. Her chest rose and fell at a furious pace although the pure oxygen filled her now more fragile lungs. She was in considerable pain. He would be able to give her a strong dose of morphine in a few moments. She deserved it. Nikitin sighed deeply. Only days before, she had been a very attractive young woman but now, if Amanda survived, she would never be the same again. No living thing ever left this damned place without being changed somehow. She would always wear the scars from her burns. He was worried about the onset of cancers in the long run, that is, if she lived. So far, Nikitin kept the Reaper at bay by having his own tumors removed. He often joked that the surface of the moon had less craters than his body. His friend however, had faired a lot better. He had done many tests on Terasov and couldn't find out why he had not developed any cancerous growths. Granted, he could no longer grow hair like the rest and his skin was severely pigmented, by Terasov was by far the most unaffected by the radiation. The other thing Nikitin was preparing himself for was the constant crying when Amanda's hair would start falling out. Women had a certain pride when it came to their hair. He remembered feeling so helpless hearing his wife weeping in absolute despair, holding clumps of her chestnut curls in her hands. American women were particularly vain and no doubt, this would be a difficult process for his new patient. No matter—that would be Terasov's concern. He would help her body but Terasov would have the far greater task of helping her mind. As a doctor, Nikitin had preformed countless surgeries had seen horrific injuries. He would much rather deal with blood, bone, or bile than attempt to tackle a wounded mind. It was far too messy.

"There's a good girl." Terasov said softly. Nikitin recognized the connection they already had to one another. Alexi had pulled her from the edge of the abyss, but into what? Amanda was now trapped here for the rest of her life. It could be a few hours, or it could be decades. In that time, however long or short it may be, she would either come to be grateful for this second chance or she would curse the fact that she had lived. In all the years Nikitin had spent with Terasov here, he had never sensed more concern or hope emanating from him. Perhaps Terasov was simply starved for female companionship and he craved to feel desired in some way by a woman. Nikitin injected morphine into her IV line. The blissful feeling of sleep quickly began to overtake her. Her breathing slowed to an easy, steady pace.

"I will stay with you." She heard Terasov say before she drifted off for some much needed rest.


	2. Chapter 2

The whir of the ceiling fan in her bedroom was a familiar sound. This was the first familiar thing she had felt in—well, she didn't know how long. Amanda awoke, still feeling groggy. She stared at up at the fan in her dimly lit room; slowly turning on its journey nowhere. Hesitating for a moment, she kicked the covers away and with a frustrated groan, she rolled out of bed. She could hear the soft sounds of TV from the living room. Quietly padding barefoot across the floor, she entered the living room to see Natalie was propped up on her couch watching some reality show.

"Oh, hey girl!" Natalie exclaimed. She rushed over to her friend and gave her a hug. Amanda looked confused. She wasn't at home, right? She was in Europe. And Natalie—they had taken her. She had seen her body. Maybe it was all just some freaky nightmare.

"You doing ok?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I guess." Amanda replied as they sat down on her couch.

"You weren't feeling well, so I came to check up. But you were still in bed."

"I had a real fucked up dream."

"Yeah?"

"We were in Chernobyl, you know, that place were the nuclear accident happened, and there were mutants…she paused. Pretty fucked up, right?"

Natalie giggled.

"Spooky." She teased, "It's over, now. You hungry?"

Amanda shook her head.

"Come on. You need something. Want me to order in?"

"Na, I'm fine."

"Amanda." She heard a distant voice say. She ignored it and tried to focus on the show.

"Amanda." She heard again.

"Is Chris here?" she asked, thinking he might be in the kitchen raiding her fridge as usual.

"No. He said he might stop by later, though."

"Amanda."

There it was again.

"You don't hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Somebody's saying my name."

Natalie took her friends' hand and turned to her.

"You're gonna be ok, Amanda. I promise." Natalie smiled.

The slow, steady beat of a heart monitor welcomed Amanda back to reality.

Sitting next to her was that same man. Amanda couldn't figure out why his skin looked so different. Perhaps he had been burned in a fire. He sighed softly.

"It's good to see you back."

Still in the haze of sleep, Amanda gingerly touched her temple. Her head felt like a million pounds.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice raspy.

"In a clinic." Terasov replied.

The sterile smell, the IV line, the clean gauze and the sound of the heart monitor made that evident to her. Frustrated, she asked him again.

"I know that. I mean, where am I?"

Terasov collected his thoughts. He did not want to bombard her with the shock of her present reality.

"You're safe." He said gently.

"Kiev?"

He paused.

"No."

"I want to phone my parents."

"You can't."

"What the hell do you mean I can't? They need to know I'm ok."

"I'm sorry." He said leaning in to rest his forearms on the edge of the bed.

"You can't do this."

"It's not my decision. If I could, I would."

"Stop you're bull shit head games. What the fuck is going on here?"

"Amanda, they won't let you leave here. Not after everything you've seen."

Her mind flashed back. The medical equipment, the plant, the guards shouting orders, those…things.

"I won't say anything. I swear," she cried. "I just want to go home. I want to see my parents."

Terasov wanted to wean her into this, but sometimes you just have to throw someone in the water and hope that they swim. Terasov ensured that his eyes were directly on hers. She was scared more than anything.

"I am a psychologist and I promise you that we will work through all this. It's not going to be an easy adjustment, but I'm not going anywhere and sadly, neither are you."

"I'm gonna contact my parents or my embassy. Either way, I'm home."

"You are home. Your new home. For all intensive purposes, you are dead.

That last part really frightened her. What did he mean by that? How long had she been here?

"How long was I asleep?"

"Almost three weeks."

"People will be looking for me; for my friends."

"Yes, no doubt they are. But they will never find you. No one ever finds us," he paused. "Well, you did and—"

"Stop. Just stop." Amanda cried; tears running down her burnt cheeks.

Terasov could do little to comfort her. This was all part of the process. She had to mourn for the life she once had. He let her cry for a few minutes although it pained him to do so.

"It's Alexi, right?" she asked though her sniffles.

"Yes. You remembered."

"Can you be honest with me about something, Alexi?"

He nodded.

"Am I where I think I am? Is this Chernobyl?"

"Close to it, yes."

She started crying again.

"With all those, whatever the fuck those things are?"

"They've been—contained. You're safe."

"I saw what those fucking animals did! They killed my friends! They fucking ate them! They came after me, for God's sake!" She yelled; hot blood pounding in her head.

"Who the fuck are they? What are they?" she demanded.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

She had enough of this damn shrink.

"Piss off." She muttered.

"I understand you feel that things are at their worst but, as harsh as this may sound, you're the one that lived."

"I'm done with you." She said turning away from him and burying her face in the pillow.

Terasov expected this but they had nothing but time on their side from now on.

Giving a long exhale, he slowly stood, and limped out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He hung his head low when he heard her heart wrenching wails. For almost three weeks he hardly left her side, watching her sleep, whispering to her, imagining what may lie ahead. What Amanda needed right now was solitude. But he would not be far off. He had made promises to her and he was determined to keep them. They had experienced a cruel twist of fate that had imprisoned them to this retched place for the rest of their lives. Although she had been shattered, Terasov hoped he could rebuild something from the pieces.


	3. Chapter 3

Amanda cried herself to sleep that afternoon, ignoring her growing hunger. She could almost taste her grandmother's meatloaf on her tongue. Night had fallen when Amanda awakened again. It was the sound of someone stirring about the room. She sighed softly to herself. Her logical side reminded her that she shouldn't shoot the messenger and she should apologize to Alexi for her outburst. She propped herself up onto her elbows. The soft light from the bedside table cast the shadow of a form much different from the tall Alexi. This squat, bald being was all too reminciant of those creatures.

Amanda gasped in horror, scuttling herself back against the headboard.

"I take it Alexi didn't get the chance to discuss me." He said with a deep voice and heavy Eastern European accent.

"Who are you?" she demanded, the words almost trapped in her throat  
"Nikitin, the doctor." He replied still not turning to face her.

The clean, white lab coat should have been a giveaway. She had been completely blinded by her fear.

"I understand you've been though, uh, trauma, but there is nothing to fear from me. I am not like them. None of us are." He added, placing the last of the stainless steel dishes away. He finally turned towards her. Amanda averted her eyes; her heart still leaping in her chest like a terrified rabbit. The doctors' appearance was hideous, like something out of a horror movie. Except he was real—this whole damn thing was real. A gaping hole served as his right ear; his neck and cheeks hollowed out and sunken by removed tumors.

"Us? How many people are here?" she asked, looking down at her sheets. The doctor glanced over at her heart monitor.

"Calm down, would you? Your heart rate is very high," he paused for a moment.

Well, there's the guards, the staff, the permanent residents. So more than you'd think."

Amanda noticed her hands were still rapped in gauze and the light long sleeved cotton shirt she was wearing was taped to them.

"Can you take these off, please?" she asked.

"No, you need to leave them on for right now. I'm still worried about infections for the time being. They're a precaution."

Amanda sensed the doctor wasn't being entirely truthful with her but she decided to let it slide for now. She had more important questions to be answered.

"Yeah, the shrink was a little sketchy with the details, so maybe you can answer some of my questions."

"Shrink?"

"Alexi, the psychologist."

"He is a good man. He hardly left you."

Amanda felt even guiltier about giving him such flack.

"Well, what are those, whatever they are? You must know what I'm talking about, right?"

Nikitin took a deep breath and sat down in the chair. For so long he had been placed under such security and forbidden contact with the outside world. Amanda was one of them now, one of the damned souls like him, forever entombed to this place. She had the right to know what exactly was sharing this location. She already knew the dangers.

"At one time, they were just average people that lived and worked here. After the meltdown, the government forced people to leave, but some went into hiding or refused to go. Something in them changed, more than it did for the others like me. And not just on the outside. What you saw were some of the former residents of Pripyat and their, um, offspring."

"I saw labs—in the tunnels."

"We've been trying to figure things out." He replied still holding some top-secret information to himself.

"Why the hell has no one got rid of them?" she said coldly.

"Do you blame the rabid dog for having rabies?" he remarked pulling out a penlight and shining it into her eyes.

"Any problems?" he remarked.

"Yeah, you have a damn flashlight in my eyes."

"Interesting. It didn't seem to have a long term effect on your sight." He said studying her. Slowly, he reached out to her head, hoping she trusted him enough to touch her. Very gently, he stroked his mis-shapened hand from her forehand back.

"You're a bit malnourished, but understandable. No major hair loss."

"What are you checking for?"

"You were exposed to high radiation and other than the burns, you seem," he paused "Completely ok. No early side effects, nothing."

"Uh, how bad of burns are we talking about, Doc?"

He waved her off. He stood and went over to the doorway.

"Now, I'll see to it that you get cleaned up and get some food."

"I could go for Thai." She joked.

Nikitin smiled as much as he could. Amanda realized the muscles on one side of his face worked.

"You're a lovely girl, Amanda. We need that." He said softly, disappearing into the hall.

A few minutes later, a dumpling of a woman appeared at her beside. Amanda wasn't shocked or completely disgusted by her traumatized face. Was she seriously getting used to this already? Amanda smiled gently at her.

"I am Mira. I nurse here. Help you wash and change clothes. My English not good, but I try." She was gruff and strait to the point—a stereotypical babushka kind of woman.

"Do you work with Dr. Nikitin?"

The lady smiled.

"Is husband. He work for me."

Amanda laughed softly. This woman, despite her misshaped appearance radiantly glowed with a gentle soul. Amanda felt completely at ease. After spending three weeks in bed, her legs were weak, but she managed to get into a relaxing bath with a little help. Mira told her that the cotton clothes and the bandages had to stay on but would be changed afterwards.

After a good shampooing, Mira gently brushed Amanda's hair.

"You healthy. No hair falls out."

"Your husband said the same thing."

"Is good. Maybe you stay way you are, not like me."

Amanda didn't quite understand. Could she eventually look like the others or even turn into one of—those things?

"Surgi and I just married summer before. He stay in hospital to help so I stay too."

"You've been here all this time?"

"Yes. Is home. Not great, but is home. No one like us can leave too."

"I will. I don't care what they say. I just—I just want to hug my parents again." Amanda said quietly.

Mira frowned. She felt deep sorrow for the young woman. A life cut short, much like hers had been decades before. Mira knew like the rest, that there was no leaving this place no matter how much one wanted or wished to.

"Come. Dry off, change, and then soup. Is good." the nurse said changing the conversation.

Mira helped Amanda out of the bath and rapped her in a fluffy white towel. Amanda smiled. The everyday things she had once taken for granted were now little luxuries. Mira gently grasped her forearm to steady her still uneasy sway. When Amanda saw her reflection in the mirror, her knees gave out completely. She had seen it for just a second, but that had been enough. She grabbed onto the sink and pulled herself up. Staring back at her was nothing but maroon and black blisters. Instantly, she began pulling at the damp bandages around her hands and arms.

"Stop!" Mira said grabbing her hands.

Amanda's chest heaved.

"Tell me. Is it like this everywhere?"

Mira nodded sadly.

A mournful, almost primal wail escaped from deep within in her. Amanda curled up into a small, helpless heap on the floor. Her only comfort was the tender touch of a three fingered hand on her back.


	4. Chapter 4

Nikitin had temporarily removed Amanda from reality once again by injecting her with a sedative. He was growing concerned with her increasing fragility. The girl had not eaten solid food for quite some time and the strain on her body was beginning to show. Although she was getting some nutrition though an IV, she needed to eat. Warm and dry with fresh bandages, Amanda awakened in her hospital bed. She smiled weakly at Terasov who sat near by. He was becoming a comforting sight.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Woozy."

"That will pass in a few minutes," he paused "Hungry?"

"I kinda was."

Terasov shook his head.

"Surgei instructed me that you must eat. You're getting weaker and if you don't, he'll have to take more drastic actions. Start out with something light."

"Really? 'Cause I could go for a good old fashioned American cheeseburger—with fries—and coleslaw—and a pickle on the side—and a Coke," she paused.

"And a chocolate sundae for desert with those cookie bits on top."

"Only kinda hungry, huh?" he joked. "How about a good old fashioned American iPad assembled in China while I go get you something?" he said picking up the tablet off the nightstand.

"You get Internet here?" she asked taking it from him.

"Yes, heavily monitored."

"Oh." Amanda replied solemnly.

Alexi sat down on the bed next to her. He knew she was longing to contact the outside world.

"If I could, I would. Believe me."

Subconsiencly, he placed his hand on top of hers. She didn't pull away. In fact, she welcomed it.

She sighed deeply, interlacing her fingers with his to give a slight squeeze.

"Uh," he said breaking away from her needy touch "I'll be back in a few moments."

He stood and quickly hurried out of the room. She sighed again, and glanced around the dimly lit room. There were no windows so she could judge if it was day or night. She had completely lost track of all sense of time. She picked the iPad up off her lap. The digital clock on the right top corner of the screen read 2:27 a.m. Casually, she flipped through the screen. Some of the Apps were in English, others in Russian and Ukrainian. She should start learning his language. That notion, arrived to on her own, was like a slap across the face. Why was she drawn to him? He had been her knight in shining armor weeks before when he stopped her from going into—where exactly, she didn't know. Amanda shook her head. She didn't need to learn his language because she wasn't staying here. She was leaving if she had to walk all the way back to Kiev. She thought for a moment—that back way they had entered the city with Uri. Yes, she remembered now. There had been no guards, no one watching it. Her way out.

"Here," Terasov said startling Amanda out of her deep thoughts. "Something light to get you started again."

"Thanks." Amanda smiled weakly. A simple bowl of broth and toast. The same meals her grandmother would give her when she was sick as a child.

Terasov took his place in the chair beside her bed.

"Alexi, how much longer do I have to stay here? I'm getting sick of these four walls."

"Surgei actually wants you to get up and move. Something about muscle memory. So not long," he paused. "We have 55 inch plasma TV, Blu-Ray player, PS3. All comforts," he leaned in closer. "I'm getting pretty good at Call of Duty."

Amanda chucked.

"How do you get all this stuff?"

"We ask and the guards bring it."

"Could they—" she began.

"No. They are sworn to secrecy. If they even breathe one word, they disappear."

"Actually, I was going to ask for some jeans and a hoodie or two."

She lied.

"Oh," he stammered slightly, "My apologies. I never thought of that, but I know whom to ask. She'll be glad to help."

Amanda took in the warm broth quickly. She was hungrier then she realized. Now, her curiosity was getting the better of her. She needed to ask.

"Alexi, you stopped those men from taking me somewhere."

"Yes."

"Where were they taking me?"

A silence hung in the room.

"A place you'd rather not be."

"A place that's worse then this?"

He nodded.

"Well?" she pried.

"I'm glad I got there in time." He said looking down.

Amanda suddenly realized why he was avoiding answering her question.

"My God. Those things are in there. They were going to throw me in. They were going to kill me." Pools of tears began to well up in her eyes.

"You need to step carefully here." He said quietly, taking the empty bowl away.

Gently, she touched his arm.

"You saved my life." She said, scarcely above a whisper.

"I have seen enough death. I have seen too many people—vanish." He replied.

She smiled gently.

"You know," she said changing the subject "I would really like to get up for a bit. Do you think you could help me walk around?"

"No problem." He replied with a court nod. With little effort on his part, Terasov pulled her up onto her feet.

"Why don't we go visit a friend of mine?" he suggested.

"Your friend is awake this time of night?"

"Tonight he is. I think he said he was pawning newbs. Whatever that means."

"Computer nerd?" she asked clutching his arm for support.

"Genius is more like it."

Slowly, they made their way down the dim hallway. It felt good to be up and moving again, even though her legs felt like Jell-O. She could hear faint and muffled Euro dance music in the distance.

"Genius maybe, but he's got shitty taste in music."

Terasov chucked.

"Hey, kid." He said in his native language when he opened the door. The volume decreased. The small room was full of desktops, laptops, monitors, blinking lights and a nest of Ethernet cords. A mix of posters from scanty clad girls lying over fast cars to movies and video games hung on the walls. Computer nerd for sure, Amanda thought.

A bald, misshapen head appeared out from behind the monitors. Amanda was not overley shocked by his appearance. Despite his deformities, Amanda could tell he was not that old—early twenties.

"Is this the chick? Good catch. She's hot." He said in their language.

"Yeah, yeah. Hands off." He replied.

"Hi," he said switching to English. "Name's Demtri, but friends call me Hobbit."

Demtri rolled out to her. He had no legs. Politely, he held out his hand.

"Amanda." She said taking it.

"Demtri is Surgei and Mira's boy." Terasov whispered.

"Oh."

"Honey," Demtri said with a grin. "Any friend of Alexi is one of mine. I can download anything you want."

"What do you do here?" Amanda asked.

"Technically, computer programmer."

"Like you actually do any work." Terasov scoffed playfully.

"Can you get, like, American TV?"

"Yeah."

"Hockey games?"

"No problem."

"Blackhawks?"

"Overpaid, untalented, asses. If you want to see real hockey, watch Russian juniors."

"Speaking of being overpaid—" Terasov remarked looking at Demtri's new sound system.

"Best the Japanese have to offer. I haven't even cranked this baby yet," he turned back to Amanda.

"But sure, I can get that for you. Anything for a pretty girl."

Amanda waved him off. Of course, she was pretty to him. It's not like there's a lot of choice in the middle of a exclusion zone.

Terasov's cell phone chimed a text message. He rolled his eyes after reading it.

"Guess who?" he remarked Terasov said switching to their native tongue again.

"Finished up with that hot little blond nurse early. Did you see the ass on that girl? Damn. It's like a perfect little cherry," he paused and grinned. "American girl has got a good one too. Very spankable."

Terasov moaned.

"Porn can only give you so much, you know." The young man added.

"And with that, I'm definitely leaving."

Demtri laughed.

"What does the jackass want at this time of night anyway?"

"To talk to her. I say no. She's not ready yet."

"Do you think he gives a shit?"

"If I have to get your dad out of bed and tell him to fuck off, I will. Entertain her for awhile, would you?"

"Yeah, I can do that." He joked.

"Amanda, there are things I need to attend to immediately. I'll be back shortly." Terasov said typing a responding text.

"Sure." She replied as he promptly left.

"He's really secretive, isn't he?" Amanda said to herself.

"That's his way."

"Maybe it's a eastern European thing, 'cause your dad is like that with me too. Always secrets."

"Hmm," Demtri mentioned softly. "You think you've seen things? You haven't seen anything yet."


	5. Chapter 5

The late autumn sun peeked it way out from behind bare trees. At this time in the year, its rays held little warmth. For Amanda however, it was much different. That weak light looked like warm summer. The heavy blanket of frost on the empty field sparkled. She had been sitting by the window for quite some time, grateful that she was finally able to see outside again. There was a bit of a chill in the air, so she rapped a throw more tightly around her. It was times like this that she missed her friends the most. She was never able to say goodbye to them. Where were their bodies? Had they received proper burials? And what of her parents and her brother? How long would they look for her? A shape in the distance caught Amanda's attention. Slowly, from out of the tree line, a large black figure appeared. It was not something she feared. He had a powerful and majestic presence and she was humbled to see him. He stood still in the field for a moment, and as if he knew Amanda was watching, he turned his yellow eyes up to the window. A shiver crawled up Amanda's spine with unmitigated awe. She wished she could be like him. To roam as she pleased, not confined, not a prisoner.

"That's the alpha male." Terasov said from behind her, causing Amanda to nearly leap off the windowsill.

"Shit!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry," he responded. "Deep in thought, huh? He does that to you."

"I didn't think wolves would come this close."

"I see him and his mate quite a bit, actually."

"He's beautiful." She breathed.

Alexi nodded.

"There are lots of animals around here. When mankind's destruction is kept away, it's amazing to see how mother earth fixes herself."

Amanda began to appreciate another sight. Although Terasov walked with a limp, he had rather decent upper body strength. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, unbuttoned at the neck, allowing Amanda a tantalizing mental image of the rolling muscles that lie beneath. She bit her lower lip and blushed. Casting her eyes to the floor, Amanda remembered she had not been so welcoming to his presence in the beginning.

"I'm sorry about the way I treated you." She said softly.

"No need to apologize."

"You've been great and I took out my problems on you. I'm sorry."

"Amanda, I am a psychologist. It does not bother me."

"Well, it bothers me. You deserve better."

He leaned up against the wall.

"What's that saying? It's all water under the bridge?"

"You're far too kind to me," she whispered. Her mind drifted back to the past.

"I thought it was a good idea to take a year off before starting grad school. You know, get some 'me' time and try to fix some things with my boyfriend. But, he liked the girl he was cheating on me with better, and we had a very bad break up. Natalie asked me to go to Europe, I thought: 'Hey, what do I have to lose?' Everything I guess."

Terasov collected his thoughts before he replied.

"I took up boxing as a hobby when I was seventeen. I was really good. Maybe I could have gone to the Olympics. But, knowing my luck, it would have been one of those boycotted years."

Amanda smiled.

"Do you still do it?"

"A little. Good stress relief but sometimes my knee hurts too much."

"Oh."

"What were you studying?"

"Economics. Maybe I could have gone to Wall Street," she paused "But here we are."

"Not what we planned, huh?"

"Nope."

Terasov moved closer to her.

"I was thinking, it might be good if you met my family."

Amanda frowned.

"You're married?"

"No, no. Never have been. This family is a very mixed lot of people. Just to give you a bit of warning, we'd not be on the cover of a magazine."

Amanda smiled softly.

"Neither would I."

Terasov hung his head low as he spoke.

"One thing this life has taught me is how to see, not just look," he paused. "You like photography, huh?"

"Yeah. I wasn't really good at it though."

"But you saw things others might miss."

Amanda's mind flashed back to the moment when she caught the blurred figure as it rushed in front of a window. She told herself it was an animal of some kind and nothing to be concerned about. She had been right in a way. It was an animal.

"Am I right?" he inquired.

His calm, soothing, voice made her recall when she felt compelled to capture a sun set, a reflection on the water—ordinary, but breathtakingly beautiful.

"I suppose." She responded softly.

"I arranged for Katerina to get you some clothes. She should be waiting for us now."

Amanda pirked up at the idea of being able to wear regular clothes again. The mundane was a luxury she would not take for granted. She followed Terasov down the hallway, pleased with herself that she was more in control of her legs again. Coming around the corner Amanda caught sight of a young blond woman dressed in scrubs.

"Hi," she said cheerfully. "My name is Katerina." Amanda smiled. This was the first 'normal' person she had seen since waking up.

"Professor Terasov asked a favour of me. It involved me shopping, so that was fine."

The young woman produced two huge bags full of new clothes.

Amanda smiled.

"Best day ever."

"We're about the same size but you've lost a lot of weight."

"I wouldn't recommend this diet." Amanda joked.

"At least you look a lot better then when you first came in. Miracle."

Katerina was stunned when she saw Amanda being pushed down that particular hall. She looked so hopeless and pitiful.

"Thanks for your help." Terasov said to the nurse.

"Dr. Ivanchanko wanted me to tell you he is free for a meeting this afternoon. In fact, he insists on it." She said switching to Ukrainian.

Terasov frowned deeply.

"I've already discussed this with him. Now is not the time."

Katerina shuffled uneasily. Terasov was right, but Ivanchanko was a man who always got what he wanted—herself included. Katerina was by no means proud of her relationship with the doctor, but resistance to his advances would prove to be irrelevant. She had tried her best to keep it discreet as possible, but news had a way of spreading fast here. She nor the doctor were public with it, but it was to be assumed that it had become common knowledge.

"I will talk to him." Katerina promised. She turned her attention back to Amanda who was happily examining her new wardrobe. Katerina had good taste in casual fashion and chose things Amanda would have picked out herself.

"I will be by to see you sometime later. Enjoy." She smiled.

"I appreciate this. Thank you." Amanda waved. Although it took her more time than normal, Amanda managed to dress herself and pull back her hair into a ponytail.

"I have no idea what I'm getting into, but I'm glad to get out of here." She said walking slowly beside the professor. She sighed deeply as she stepped outside and breathed in the chilled air. Terasov knew it would take time for her to heal and she was not leaving her past behind. She was entering a new stage in a new life, one witnessed silently by the wolves in the underbrush.


End file.
